Oakland A's: Does Re-Signing of Bartolo Colon Mean Exit of Brandon McCarthy?
By Clarence Baldwin Jr (Featured Columnist) on November 3, 2012 306 reads 1
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The Oakland A's announced the re-signing of suspended starting pitcher Bartolo Colon (per the San Jose Mercury News) for a one-year deal worth up to $3 million with performance bonuses.

Don't get me wrong, Colon was solid with the A's in 2012 up until his suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. His stat line was 10-9 with a 3.43 ERA in 24 starts. By all accounts, he had a very good season.

However, what can the Oakland A's reasonably expect from a 39-year-old starting pitcher whose performance was almost certainly amplified by his use of PEDs? If nothing else, he becomes a stopgap in the event of sophomore recession from Tom Milone or Jarrod Parker.

Now you have to wonder if Dan Straily and A.J. Griffin will have a spot in the rotation with Colon's return (he is slated to miss the first five games of the 2013 season to complete the 50-game suspension levied in August).

As it stands, you can reasonably assume Brett Anderson, Parker and Milone are the top-three starters. Colon likely slides into the fourth spot. So barring any injury, it becomes a battle between Griffin and Straily, with dark horses in the form of prospects Brad Peacock and Sonny Gray.